This invention relates to an apparatus carried for vertical movements on a charging car including a rotatable gripper for removing and fitting charging hole covers for a horizontal coke oven chamber and further including a charging hole frame cleaner with a rotatable cleaning tool movable from a remote position to an operative position for cleaning sealing surfaces incident to charging coal into the oven chamber.
It is known in the art to provide a device for mechanically opening, cleaning and closing charging holes located in the ovens roof for introducing coal into the coking chambers of a horizontal coke oven battery. One form of such a device is disclosed in West Germany patent publication No. 30 16 418 which embodies a relatively complex construction; and accordingly, requires an excessive amount of space for the installation and operation of the device. The device is constructed to traverse along a support frame above the oven roof independently of a coal-charging car and other devices. Not only does the device occupy extra free space but also blocks access routes above the oven roof. The installation of extrasensitive machinery and devices in this area is a considerable disadvantage to practical operation of the coke oven battery, particularly due to the need for rapid access for maintenance and repair work and the risk involved to workmen in the highly-heated environment.